1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to apparatus for dispensing liquid and pulverulent materials,, and more particularly, to such apparatus which is suitable for an automated paint dispensing operation.
2. Description of the Related Art:
To avoid having to separately inventory different color paints, many paint retailers use a common paint base that is individually tinted with a colorant on a per-order basis. It is known to provide a turntable supporting a plurality of containers holding colorant which is stored therein in liquid form. Metering structure is provided to dispense measured amounts of colorant from the containers into the paint base.
A merchandiser of paint materials may find it convenient to limit the major portion of paint inventory to a paint base material, which can be tinted or otherwise colored to produce a wide variety of colored paint materials. Thus, a merchandiser need not estimate beforehand the quantity of a given color paint that should be maintained in stock. While the above-mentioned colorant dispensing apparatus can be relied upon to accurately meter even small amounts of colorants required for a given paint formulation, the colorant materials are frequently discharged through a downwardly extending conduit or nozzle which extends below a shut-off valve. Such nozzles have been observed to become clogged with colorant materials which thereafter harden, upon drying. The assignee of the present invention has made significant improvements in automated, i.e., automatic and semi-automatic paint dispensing apparatus. For example, United States Patent application Ser. No. 380,974, filed Jul. 17, 1989 and United States patent application Ser. No. 485,251, filed Feb. 26, 1990 disclose a turntable carrying a plurality of colorant canisters disposed about the turntable periphery. Pump and valve apparatus associated with each canister are operated with actuator mechanisms carried on the turntable and located radially interiorly of the series of colorant canisters. The mechanisms include belt-driven brackets which engage the pump and valve apparatus of a particular canister. The actuator mechanisms comprise separate sub-assemblies located at a colorant dispensing station on the turntable. Further details concerning the construction and operation are given in the aforementioned United States Patent application Ser. Nos. 380,974, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,938, and 485,251, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,302, the disclosure of which is incorporated in this application as if fully set forth herein.
Despite the ready acceptance and commercial success of the paint dispensing apparatus described above, further improvements were sought. For example, the actuating mechanism, as well as flexible cable drives for stirrers associated with each colorant canister are located at the radial interior portion of the turntable, being contained within an encircling array of colorant canisters. Routine maintenance and cleaning operations could be improved if the actuating mechanisms were made more readily accessible to service personnel.
Further advantages were sought to simplify the belt path for the actuating mechanisms and to improve the ready alignment of those mechanisms with the turntable and the canister array.